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Updated: Dec 30, 2025

Author Spotlight: Understanding Dynamic Cellular Behaviors in Adult Mouse Dental Tissue Renewal and Repairment
Published on: October 27, 2023
Molecular and cellular mechanisms of tooth development, homeostasis and repair
Tingsheng Yu1, Ophir D Klein2,3
1Program in Craniofacial Biology and Department of Orofacial Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
Abstract:
The tooth provides an excellent system for deciphering the molecular mechanisms of organogenesis, and has thus been of longstanding interest to developmental and stem cell biologists studying embryonic morphogenesis and adult tissue renewal. In recent years, analyses of molecular signaling networks, together with new insights into cellular heterogeneity, have greatly improved our knowledge of the dynamic epithelial-mesenchymal interactions that take place during tooth development and homeostasis. Here, we review recent progress in the field of mammalian tooth morphogenesis and also discuss the mechanisms regulating stem cell-based dental tissue homeostasis, regeneration and repair. These exciting findings help to lay a foundation that will ultimately enable the application of fundamental research discoveries toward therapies to improve oral health.
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